Wanna Bet?
by Hotel Toon
Summary: It has been five years since Gaston's defeat in the previous episode. Mint and Rio are back with Bugs Bunny and some others. This time there's a new villain called Severus T. Ratigaurus who is an original character trying to take over the Animation Resort. He plans on winning it in a series of games that he has set. How will Bugs and the others stop this evil rat?
1. Chapter 1

A long time ago in the year 1997, there was a hotel famous for being the very best for cartoons of all kinds. It was called the Animation Resort (known by its nickname "Hotel Toon"), and every toon had spent time there at least once in their lives — and probably more, since once they arrived they never wanted to leave!

One morning Mint, a visitor at Hotel Toon, was going downstairs to hang out with her friends, who were known as the Toon Squad. Mint was a time traveler from the future sent to stop a great evil that would plague the world in the future. It had been five years since Gaston's defeat in the previous episode. The Toon Squad was made up of the toons who were at the Animation Resort most often: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, , Fred Flintstone, the Chipettes, the Nestle Quik Bunny, and Mario. "Hey Mint," said Bugs when she arrived. "What's up, doc?"

"Oh, nothing much, Bugs," Mint replied with a shrug. "Same old, same old."

"You seem happy this morning," said Fred.

"Yes," said Mint. "That's because I'm ordered something in the mail."

"What is it?" asked Mario.

"An N64! I can't wait to see it."

"That's cool," said Brittany. "I've always wanted one. I'm jealous."

"I won it for free in some sweepstakes," said Mint, "and it's supposed to come today!"

"That's wonderful!" Mario exclaimed. "I love the N64. One of my favorite games in that system is Super Mario 64. Since it has me in it, it's obviously one of the best. But Mario Kart 64 is another good one. You can't go wrong if I'm on the cover!" He winked to show that he was just kidding . . . for the most part.

"So you got an N64," said Bugs, ignoring Mario. "That's great. I only have a Super NES. But I don't usually play video games that much."

"Super NES has lame graphics," Daffy scoffed. "The N64 is _so_ much better. I had one, but it broke."

"That's because you threw it when you lost," Bugs said.

"Bugs," Daffy shot back, "shut up."

"The N64 is great," said the Quik Bunny. "I heard it's brand new. It only came out last year. My friend Tony the Tiger has one and he lets me play it sometime. You're gonna really like it!"

"Well Mint," said Bugs, "once you get it, tell me what it's like. Maybe some time we can play together."

"Certainly!"

"What about me?" Daffy asked.

Mint looked him up and down thoughtfully, then shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" he whined.

"If you broke yours, I don't really trust you playing mine."

"Oh _come on!_ A duck can make one mistake. Don't worry, I won't break yours. I promise."

"I still don't trust you." Mint had known Daffy for long enough that she knew his promises weren't very reliable.

"Come on!"

"I said no!"

"Ahhh man," said Daffy, pouting. "You're no fun."

"Hello, guys," said a voice from behind them. It was Rio. "I should've known you'd be here."

Rio was also a time traveler from the same time period Mint was trying to stop the great evil.

"Oh hi, Rio," said Bugs. "What's up, doc?"

"Always saying that line," Rio said, shaking her head with an affectionate smile.

"Yes," Bugs agreed, grinning.

"Rio," Mint interrupted, bouncing up and down in her excitement. "I just won something!"

"What did you win?"

"An N64!"

"That's cool," said Rio. "My brother got one for Christmas last year and got hooked on it because of the new 3D graphics. Says it's better than the Super NES."

"Yeah," said Mint. "The Super NES is _so_ old school. The N64 is the best."

"I don't have one," said Fred, a little disappointed. "I have a Sony Playstation instead."

"I've heard of that one," said Mint.

"Playstation sucks," Mario added, giving Fred a playful slap on the back. "Get an N64. You won't regret it."

"So," said Rio before anyone could start arguing about video game systems, "what would you like to drink?"

After the Toon Squad ordered their drinks, the conversation returned to video games. "So Quik Bunny," said Mint. "Which console do you like better: N64 or Playstation?"

"Well it doesn't really matter," said the Quik Bunny, glancing around nervously because he didn't want to get involved in the argument. "I like both."

"The N64 is still better," Mario insisted.

"I like Playstation better," said Fred.

"I don't know which is better," Brittany said. "The thing is, I don't own the new consoles yet. I still own an NES."

"NES?" said Mint. "Wow, you're _very_ far behind."

"Yeah, I know," said Brittany. "I'm not that into video games, but Alvin absolutely loves them."

"Yeah," agreed Eleanor. "They play for hours."

"When we ask them if we could play, they don't let us," said Jeanette.

"Those boys just don't share!" Brittany said indignantly.

Bugs said, "I'm usually so busy with acting that I don't have time for video games."

"Well, you're so famous," said Mint.

"That's right." Suddenly he was distracted by the piano player in the corner. "Well," said Bugs. "It looks like the piano player is playing again." They heard the opening notes of "Fur Elise."

"Yeah," said Fred. "We always hear him playing when we're here."

"Hey," the Quik Bunny suggested. "Let's go see him play."

Agreeing, they all went over to him. "Hey there, doc," said Bugs. "Nice playing."

"Thanks," said the player. "I always like to entertain the guests.

"Can I make a request, Mac?"

"Yes."

"Would you please play 'Axel F' for me?"

"Certainly," said the player, and as the last notes of "Fur Elise" died down he began playing Bugs' request.

Then Bugs sang a song. As he finished, his friends burst into applause. "Wow, Bugs!" said Mint. "I didn't know you were good at singing."

"That was very good bravo," Mario agreed.

"Well," said Bugs, trying to look modest, "I do the best that I can."

"Hey," said Daffy. "What about me? I can sing too. My name is Daffy Duck and I am . . ." He trailed off as everyone gave him weird looks. "Very funny," he grumbled. "Let's all laugh at the duck."

"Well, well, well," said a voice from behind them. They turned to see Severus T. Ratigaurus. He was the owner of the Golden Rat Resort in Las Vegas — another, less popular, hotel for toons. Ratigaurus was jealous of the fame the Animation Resort had so he always tried to steal the hotel's secret documents so that he could make his better and shut down the Animation Resort.

"What do you want Ratigaurus?" asked Bugs, who'd spent enough time at Hotel Toon to know Ratigaurus's plans.

"What I always want," Ratigaurus, replied, lighting a cigar and puffing it. "I want this hotel. It's in the way of my success. But this time I would like to make a bet with old Craig Walker." That was the owner of the resort, and Ratigaurus's oldest rival.

"What kind of bet?" asked Daffy.

"You know, a game," said Ratigaurus. "Bring him down right now." No one wanted to argue with Ratigaurus, because he could cause all sorts of trouble, so Mint found Rio and sent her to go get Walker as fast as she could.

He came running into the lobby with Rio at his heels, looking around for the giant rat. "Ratigaurus! What are you doing here?"

"I came to make a bet with you," said Ratigaurus.

"What kind of bet?" asked Walker. raising his eyebrows.

"Well," said Ratigaurus, who had clearly thought this through. "In this bet you need to get a whole bunch of Toons to play different challenges all across the Hotel. I'll have some toons on my team too. If your team wins, I'll give you 10 million dollars. But if my team wins, then you have to give the Animation Resort to me. Do we have a deal?" He held out his paw for Walker to shake.

He hesitated for a moment, but $10 million was a lot of money, and the hotel could always use it. "Deal," he said, returning the handshake.

"Meet me tomorrow at 8 am sharp — and don't be late." With that, he turned and strode out of the hotel, leaving everyone staring after him.

"You really shouldn't have done that, doc," said Bugs.

"Are you kidding me? I want to get that 10 million dollars."

"I have a bad feeling about this . . ." said Mint.

"Yeah, me too," Rio added. "I hope that we don't lose."

Fred shrugged and said, "We'll just have to be ready for anything tomorrow."

"Yeah," Bugs agreed. "The Toon Squad will win that bet for you, Walker."

"Thank you all. I know we'll get that money no problem!"

Daffy shook his head and muttered under his breath, "I hope so."

The next morning, the Toon Squad was ready for the challenge. They met outside the entrance to the hotel, where Ratigaurus and his team were waiting. "Alright everybody," the rat began immediately. "Here are the rules to the game: we'll compete in three challenges. Whichever team wins two out of three wins the bet."

"All right," said Walker. "So what's the first challenge?"

"A game of billiards. Does this Hotel have a pool table?"

"Yes," said Bugs, "in the lounge."

"All right, good," said Ratigaurus. "Let's go."

Once they were in the lounge, Ratigaurus wanted to start right then and there. "Who here is good at billiards?" asked Ratigaurus.

"I'll go," said Daffy, lifting his chin and striding forward confidently.

"Wait a minute," said Bugs, holding out his arm to stop the duck, "you're not good at pool."

"Yes I am! I play really good."

"Well," Bugs corrected. "The last time you played with me you lost every game. You couldn't even get one ball in a hole."

"Bugs, shut up," Daffy hissed. "I can do this."

"I have a really bad feeling about this," said Bugs, but let Daffy pass since he was so determined.

"All right, duck," said Ratigaurus. "Your opponent will be Gaston."

"Gaston?" asked Daffy with a snort of derision. "He's not that tough."

"Don't worry Ratigaurus," said Gaston. "I can beat this duck."

"Good. Now let the game begin."

So Daffy and Gaston played pool . . . or tried to.

"Oh my gosh," said Mint, as Daffy accidentally poked himself in the eye with his cue. "This pool game is really boring. Nothing's happening."

"Yeah," said Rio. "They can't even get one ball into a hole."

"I _told_ you Daffy was bad at pool," said Bugs. They all gasped as Daffy finally took his shot . . . and then groaned as the ball bounced off the table and onto the floor.

"Well if you tell me," said the Quik Bunny, "this really isn't a game at all."

"I know," said Mario, watching Gaston break his pool cue when he missed, forcing Ratigaurus to give him another. "I can play much better than these guys. Even Bowser can!"

"Yeah," said Fred. "I'd rather watch a football game than this."

"They _are_ trying hard, though," said Brittany.

"But nothing's happening. This really isn't a game at all," said Jeanette. There was a moment of silence, as turn after turn neither player managed to get even a single ball into the hole. "It's almost impressive . . . I didn't know it was possible to be this bad."

"How long is this gonna take?" asked Eleanor.

The clock continued to spin as hours passed, but the game still went on and nothing happened.

"All right," said Daffy. "I'm almost there. I just need to get one ball in this hole."

" _Aha!_ " Gaston suddenly exclaimed, as he finally managed to tap one of the balls into the corner pocket.

"Oh no you don't," said Daffy. "I can get one too! I just got to try." Then suddenly Daffy collapsed, exhausted from the effort and hours of playing.

Ratigaurus smiled, tapping his fingers together sinisterly. "It looks like Gaston wins."

"What? I won?" Gaston repeated, shocked. Then a huge triumphant grin spread across his face and he punched his fist in the air. "I won! Woooooo hoooooo! Yeah, that's right! I'm the man!"

"Well, Walker," Ratigaurus gloated. "It looks like I won this round."

Walker nodded, nervously chewing his fingernails. "Looks like it."

"Onto the next challenge," said Ratigaurus. "The next challenge is a shooting game. To the arcade!" He led them across the hall into the room, where they all gathered around a shooting game. "Whoever gets the most points wins this round. Who will play?"

"I will," said Bugs.

"Your opponent will be Marvin the Martian."

"Oh boy," said Marvin. "It looks like we meet again, Bugs."

"That's right," said Bugs, determined to beat his rival again. "You against me."

"Winning this game will boost my reputation," said Marvin. "Evil makes me _so_ angry."

"Let's begin," said Bugs. Luckily both of them were very talented, so this game was far more exciting than the first challenge. Every time one of them would get a point, a second later the other one would catch up. It was neck-in-neck, and everyone knew that Bugs had to win or they'd lose the hotel forever.

"Wow," said Mint. "Bugs is good."

"Yeah." Rio nodded, biting her lip and glancing at the score. "Bugs is doing very well."

"I can say this," said Mario. "He's a lot better at shooting games than I am. I'm only good at my own games — and none of them involve shooting."

"Wow," said the Quik Bunny. "The two of them are going at it. They both _really_ want to win this."

"They're both good . . ." said Fred. "Too good."

"Even though I don't like gun games," Brittany sniffed, "I think he's going to win this."

"Yeah," said Eleanor. "Bugs is much better at this than Daffy was at pool."

"Hey!" said Daffy, who'd recovered in time for the next challenge. "I played pretty well! Pool isn't that easy."

"So, Marvin," said Bugs, racking up another point. "Give up yet?"

"Never," said Marvin, immediately shooting down another alien and evening the score. "I will never lose to the likes of you."

"You haven't won yet. I'll make sure this hotel stays with Walker."

"That will never happen! I'm good at shooting games which means I'm gonna win."

"In your dreams," said Bugs. "I'll do this for the hotel." Motivated by his desire to save the Animation Resort, he began shooting even faster, knocking down enemies almost before they showed up.

Finally the game ended. Marvin had 3000 points and Bugs had 5000. "Well, doc," said Bugs with a sigh of relief. "I win."

"This isn't over earth creature," Marvin scowled. "If we were using _real_ lasers I totally would've won."

"The score is even, Ratigaurus," Bugs added, turning to the rat.

"Well, well," said Ratigaurus, nodding in approval. "Not bad. But you won't win the final challenge."

"What will it be?" asked Rio.

"You'll see," said Ratigaurus with an evil smile. "Come with me." Having no choice, they all followed him to the back of the Hotel into the woods behind it. "This is the final challenge. While you were playing the first two games I did some work down here, making these woods into an obstacle course. There are some traps and dangers throughout it. Whoever wins this challenge wins the game. Who's next?" To be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Previously on Wanna Bet? Ratigaurus had challenged the Toon Squad to a series of challenges. Daffy lost the first chalenge to Gaston but Bugs won the second challenge against Marvin the Martian. Ratigaurus had one final challenge. Now who will play this challenge? Find out now.

"Who would like to go next?" Ratigaurus asked.

"I will," said Mario. "Finally something I'll be good at! It looks like one of my games."

Ratigaurus didn't look happy, but he just said, "Your opponent will be the Joker."

"Oh yes," said the Joker, rubbing his hands together. "This'll be fun, a piece of cake. I'll win this challenge with a smile."

"Whoever makes it back first wins the challenge."

"Oh," said the Joker, "I'm gonna have so much fun with this one."

Ratigaurus held up his hand, and both competitors got into position. "On your mark, get set, _go!"_

Mario and the Joker sprinted into the obstacle course. It was a nightmare; they had to wade through swamps filled with alligators and dodge bear traps, ducking and weaving as fast as they could. The Joker leapt through a ring of fire without getting damaged, but when Mario tried to follow his hat brushed the flames and caught fire. " _Ah ah, ah ah!"_ he cried, just like he was in one of his classic Nintendo games, struggling to put it out before it could burn him.

With Mario distracted, Joker made it to the end of the obstacle course first, Mario unable to keep up despite running as fast as he could. "I enjoyed this challenge," the Joker said with his creepy smile. It reminded him of the traps he'd set for Batman.

"Yes!" Ratigaurus shouted, leaping into the air. "I won! I _finally_ won! Now that Animation Resort is mine!"

The others watch his celebration with horror. "Oh, no," said Bugs. "This is bad."

"Yes," Ratigaurus agreed. "And since I won the bet, I'm gonna be making some changes around here."

And he did: once the documents had been put in his possession, he changed the Animation Resort to the Evil Rat Resort and only cartoon villains were allowed at the hotel. The Toon Squad was kicked out and forced to stay at a cheap motel.

"This is horrible," said Mint.

"Yeah," agreed Daffy. "And now we're stuck at this dump."

"Things have been going wrong for all of us," said Fred. "And since this Motel is so small, some Toons don't have a place to stay at all."

"Yeah," said Mario. "We're lucky in a way, and all we gotta do is hope that things will be better."

"Things _aren't_ getting better, though!" Mint exclaimed, rising to her feet. "Just face it: Ratigaurus owns our precious hotel, he only lets bad guys stay at it, and _we're_ stuck staying at cheap motels like this. It's awful!"

"Hey," said the Quik Bunny. "Do you know where Bugs is?"

"Well," said Daffy, thinking it over. "If I were to guess Bugs is probably in his room. He said he had some things to do."

"What kind of things?" asked Eleanor.

Daffy shrugged. "I don't know. He was saying something about . . . well, I don't know."

"Maybe he —" Jeannette was cut off as Bugs entered the room.

" _Nyeh_ , what's up doc?"

"Bugs!" Daffy exclaimed, leaping up and hugging him. "You're here! And I'll bet you have a plan!"

"So what were you doing?" asked Mint.

Bugs Bunny gently shoved Daffy away. "I think I've got an idea to get our hotel back."

"Told ya!" Daffy crowed.

"But how?" asked Mint.

"Well," said Bugs, "Ratigaurus is probably in Las Vegas at the Golden Rat right now. All we need to do is sneak into his Casino and make a bet with him."

" _What?!_ " everyone cried in unison.

"But that's too risky!" said Fred.

"You could lose everything in a bet," Mint added, shaking her head. "Look what happened to Craig."

"Are you out of your mind?" asked the Quik Bunny. "If we lose, we'll probably lose everything."

"We have to try," said Bugs. "This is the only way we can get our hotel back. But first we need to gather all the toons that we know. We'll want a lot of skilled cartoons on our team so we can handle whatever Ratigaurus decides to throw at us."

"Yeah," said Mario. "Good plan."

"We'll need Rio and Walker, too," said Jeanette.

"Don't worry," said Bugs. "We'll get everyone. Now let's go get our hotel back."

Bolstered by their leader's confidence, everyone cheered and prepared to leave.

Bugs and the Toon Squad went to Disney World first to get Mickey Mouse. "Hey Mickey," said Bugs. "What's up, doc?"

"Oh hi Bugs," Mickey replied. "I heard about the Animation Resort, and it's a real shame. Sorry, guys."

"Yeah, about that," Bugs said, stepping closer and lowering his voice. "I have an idea to get our hotel back, but I need your help."

"All right," said Mickey. "I'll do whatever I can. What's your plan?"

"We'll challenge Ratigaurus to a bet. It's the only way."

Mickey looked a little unsure, but saw how determined his friends were. With a one-shouldered shrug he held out his hand for Bugs to shake. "Then I'm in. I'll get Donald and Goofy too. They can probably help us."

" Good," said Bugs. "The more the merrier."

Mickey left them, finding Donald and Goofy in the Magic Kingdom. "What?" Donald demanded once his friend had explained the situation. "A challenge?"

"Yes," said Mickey. "Bugs needs our help."

Donald shook his head vehemently. "No. No way. I'm not gonna be involved in this bet."

"But Donald," said Mickey, "this Hotel is counting on us."

"It's just too risky."

"C'mon. We've got to try. Goofy. are you with us?"

"I certainly am!" said Goofy.

"Cmon Donald," Mickey wheedled. "We gotta at least try."

The duck looked from one friend to the other, then let out a sigh of defeat. "Oh all right," he grumbled. "I can't make you guys do this alone."

"Thanks," said Mickey, patting him on the shoulder. "You're a real pal."

"I know, I know . . ." Donald grumbled as they returned to the squad.

"Thank you for your help, guys, but we'll need more if we're gonna win this bet. Let's find Scooby. To Universal Studios!"

"This is a great day, Scoob," Shaggy said as they walked through the park. "You and me at Universal, eating good food. Nothing gets better than this!"

"You bet," said Scooby Doo. "No scary mysteries to solve either. Just relaxing."

Then Bugs and the Toon Squad showed up. " _Nyeh_ , what's up, doc?" said Bugs.

"Oh, hi Bugs," said Scooby Doo. "How's it going?"

"Not great," said Bugs. "The Animation Resort needs to be won back in a bet. Will you help us?"

"What?" said Scooby. "No!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's too risky and too scary. Scooby will not do it."

"But we need your help!"

"Sorry, I won't do it. No, no."

Then Bugs got out a box of Scooby snacks. "Will you do it for a Scooby snack?"

"Oh yes," said Scooby, as his tail began wagging. "I love Scooby snacks."

"So will you help us?" asked Bugs, shaking the box.

"Why yes!" said Scooby. "Don't worry Shaggy, Scooby is helping Bugs on an adventure. But I'll be back."

"Wait," said Shaggy. "I'll come too. If Scooby's going then so am I."

"Great," said Bugs. "By the way, Shaggy, have you seen Tommy or Chuckie from _Rugrats_ around here?"

"Yeah," said Shaggy. "Those guys are usually at the Nickelodeon Studios."

"Good, thanks," said Bugs. "We'll head there next."

"Well, Chuckie," said Tommy. "This is great: the two of us playing ball. Nothing gets better than this."

"You're right Tommy," said Chuckie. "I'm having so much fun."

Tommy started to reply, but was interrupted by Bugs' arrival. "Nyeh, what's up, doc?"

"Oh hi Bugs!" said Chuckie.

"Listen, me and these guys are going to Las Vegas to get the Animation Resort back from Ratigaurus, but we'll need your help."

"Oooh," said Tommy. " That sounds fun. I would love to go to Slots Vegas. This sounds like an adventure."

"I don't know, Tommy," said Chuckie. "I don't think we should. That Joker Clown is pretty scary."

"Don't worry, Chuckie. We'll make it. Just don't be scared of the Joker clown. I'll be right by your side."

"Oh, alright," said Chuckie. "But you owe me for this."

Across town, Rio was in the middle of a seedy bar, surrounded by angry-looking customers. "Oh man," she muttered to herself. "Once Ratigaurus took over the resort, I lost my job. Now I'm stuck being a bartender."

"Hey lady!" a customer shouted. "Where's my drink? I wanted it an hour ago! Give it to me!"

"I'm coming," Rio said with a sigh. Once she'd taken care of the crowd, she ducked into the alley behind the bar for a break. That was where Bugs and the gang found her.

"Nyeh, what's up Doc?" Bugs asked.

"Bugs! I'm so glad to see you. Things have been rough since Ratigaurus took over the hotel."

"Yeah, I know," said Bugs, and he explained the situation. Like the others, Rio was a little scared, but she knew there was nothing else they could do.

"I'm with you," said Rio as they all returned to the bar to get her things. "When do we leave?"

"Right now," said Bugs. "Now we need Walker."

"I'm in," said Walker, who was sitting at the bar next to them.

"Walker?" asked Bugs. "How did you get here?"

"I was here all the time. It's been horrible since I lost that bet, but I'm ready to help."

"Good," said Bugs. "Now all we need is Batman and Sailor Moon."

"I called them already," said Brittany. "They said they want to come and they want us to meet them in Vegas."

"Alright," said Bugs. "Next stop, Vegas."

"Yeah!" everyone shouted.

Meanwhile, at the Golden Rat, Ratigaurus was planning the new bet. "This is great, Joker," he said. "I have finally taken over the Animation Resort! This is the best day ever."

"That's right," said the Joker. "Now that you own the hotel, I can finally stay there and not worry about Batman."

"My favorite Toons were always the villains. And now I have no competition! Nothing gets better than this." Then Ratigaurus and Joker held up their beer steins and made a toast. "To our success." said Ratigaurus.

"Yes," said Joker. "To us villains. Now that the hotel is ours we can have fun."

"Well, here we are," said Bugs. "Las Vegas."

"That's right," said Mint. "Now we need to find Ratigaurus. Where is his hotel?"

"It's at the Golden Rat," said Rio. "It isn't that far from here. We'll just have to take a bus."

"By the way," said Mint. "Where are Batman and Sailor Moon?"

"Oh they'll be here soon," Bugs replied calmly. "They told us to wait at here at the airport."

"I hope they get here soon," said the Quik Bunny, looking around nervously. "What if Ratigaurus sends his goons after us?"

Luckily the two cartoons arrived before anything could happen. "Hey guys," said Sailor Moon. "We heard that you guys needed help getting the Animation Resort back so I came here as soon as I could."

"Yeah," said Batman. "I heard that the Joker was helping out Ratigaurus. I'm just glad I could make it. So where are we heading?"

"To the Golden Rat," said Bugs. "Since we can't reveal ourselves, I made some disguises to get in the casino."

"Good idea," said Fred. "So when do we head out?"

"Immediately," said Bugs. "This may be risky but if we want our hotel back we have to do this."

"Hey, Bugs," said Daffy. "Our bus is here."

"Good," said Bugs. "Now let's go get our hotel back."

"Right," said Rio. So they rode through Las Vegas.

"Hey look," said the Quik Bunny. "I can see the city!"

"Wow," said Mint. "It's beautiful."

"It is, isn't it?" Bugs said fondly; he'd spent a lot of time there over the course of his career.

"Chuckie," said Tommy, "we're here in Slots Vegas again."

"Yeah! Slots Vegas is amazing."

They passed by many famous Casinos in Vegas: Riviera, Stardust even Sahara. Then they finally made it to the Golden Rat.

Bugs Bunny and Rio went in the hotel in disguise and went for their reservation. "Nyeh, what's up do — I mean what's up?

"Hello," said the woman at the desk. "How my I help you?"

"Oh, yes," said Bugs, a little flustered. "I made reservations."

"Okay," said the woman. "Name, sir?"

"Bunny," said Bugs. "Buffington Bunny."

"Here's your key."

Later after they got situated in their room, Bugs and Rio in disguise went into the Casino. "So what's the plan?" asked Rio.

"We'll gamble at this casino, then the Chipettes will go and sing. That'll cause Ratigaurus to come down and we'll take off our disguises and confront the big rat and make the bet."

"Okay," said Rio. They went to a table where Joker and Harley Quinn were gambling.

"Hello there," said Bugs.

"Oh hello," said Joker. "So you wanna play a game of Blackjack?"

"Yes," said Bugs.

The dealer went to get the cards ready. The rest of the Toon squad were hidden in the crowd at the casino.

"Alright Fred," whispered the Quik Bunny. "Bugs said he wants us here at the slot machines, right?"

"Yes, Quik Bunny," said Fred.

"So what happens? When you play these slot machines does Nestle Quik come out?"

"No," said Fred. "Money comes out of it. How can you think of chocolate milk at a time like this?"

Mint was with Sailor Moon at the roulette wheel with Daffy and Batman. "I'm glad we made it here."

"Yeah," said Sailor Moon. "I can't believe they let us in here even though we're underage. How did you get in?"

"I told them that I was a midget," said Mint.

"Wow," said Sailor Moon. "You sure fooled them!"

"Yeah," said Batman. "And I bet the Joker is here somewhere."

"I think Bugs and Rio are with the Joker." said Mint, pointing.

"I think they're gambling," Daffy agreed. "Most likely the Joker is cheating to win."

"Knowing the Joker, he does usually cheat at everything."

Meanwhile Mario was, with Shaggy and Scooby at the poker table.

"So, Mario," said Shaggy. "Do you know what the plan is?"

"Yes," said Mario. " Bugs said for us to stay in this spot until the Chipettes sing and then when Ratigaurus comes we reveal ourselves and make the bet."

"So what traps do we use?" asked Scooby.

"We won't be using traps," said Mario. "We just need to confront Ratigaurus."

"But in our show we usually use traps to get the villain," Shaggy said, confused.

"Well, this isn't your show," Mario snapped. "This is real danger."

"Yipes," said Scooby, shaking and cowering in a ball. "I'm scared. I don't want to do this."

"Here's a Scooby snack," said Mario, pulling out the bag Bugs had given him.

"Oh boy," said Scooby. "I'll definitely help!"

Bugs and Rio were still gambling with the Joker. "Your turn," the dealer said to the Joker.

"Hit me."

"You have eighteen, sir," said the dealer, giving the Joker a concerned look. "Are you sure?"

"I like to live dangerously."

"As you wish," said the dealer. And the card the Joker got was a three. "You got a three," said the dealer. "Twenty one. And you, sir?" he said to Bugs.

"I'll stay." He had only five, but he couldn't resist acting out a scene in one of his favorite movies.

"I suggest you hit sir," said the dealer.

"I _also_ like to live dangerously," said Bugs, giving the Joker a sly look, but the villain didn't know Austin Powers.

"As you wish," said the dealer. "Twenty beats your five. I'm sorry."

"Well," said Bugs to the Joker, "To be honest, cards aren't really my thing. Let me introduce myself: my name is Buffington Bunny and this is my wife, Claudette."

"Nice to meet you. I'm the Joker from Batman, and this is Harley Quinn."

"Nice to meet you, Buffington," said Harley, both of them being surprisingly polite because they were so happy they won. "What show are you from?"

"Looney Tunes," said Bugs. "I'm Bugs Bunny's evil twin."

Bugs Bunny lied about that to cover his identity. Will Bugs be able to bring Ratigaurus down to make the bet or will Ratigaurus have the Animation Resort forever? Find out next time on Hotel Toon.

* * *

Author's note: The quote used in the Blackjack scene of this chapter is from Austin Powers. The credit from that scene goes to New Line Cinemas


	3. Chapter 3

"I've never heard of you," said the Joker.

"Well," said Bugs, "I'm not in that many cartoons."

"Well that explains it," said the Joker. "So how do you like it that Ratigaurus took over the Animation Resort?"

"I love it!" said Bugs, plastering a huge fake smile on his face. "I'm having a better time now that my good brother Bugs isn't there. It's so much fun now."

"Yeah," said the Joker. "Without Batman being around everything's good. Isn't that right, Harley?"

"That's right J," said Harley. "Everything's better now that Batman can't be at that hotel."

Then the Chipettes came to the stage to sing, disguised like the others. "Good evening everybody," said Brittany. "We are here to entertain you today. Who wants to hear some good music?" The crowd cheered enthusiastically and Brittany turned back to her sisters. "Alright, girls. Ready to sing?"

"Ready," said Jeanette and Eleanor. Then they sang the song Spice up your life from the Spice Girls

Meanwhile, Ratigaurus was talking on the phone. "I _told_ you," said Ratigaurus, "you were supposed to give me the money yesterday. When I say I want my money, I want my money pronto!"

"You got it, no more delays," his henchman said, scared of making Ratigaurus angry.

Ratigaurus wasn't appeased. "Give me the Money or I'll take it by force!"

"Ratigaurus," said one of his minions, "we've got some unidentified singers in the gambling hall."

"What?" Then he saw the Chipettes.

The Chipettes were singing continuously. They sang the song until they wound down the song, a little out of breath and tired. But everyone loved the song, and they could see Ratigaurus across the room so they knew that the plan had worked perfectly.

Ratigaurus came onstage. "Well, well, well," said Ratigaurus, rubbing his hands together. "It looks like we have some unwanted guests."

"Oh really?" said Brittany. "Looks like _they_ wanted us." She gestured to the cheering crowd, then flipped her hair and added, "Besides, we were only singing."

"But you're not villains," said Ratigaurus.

"Well, _we're_ not the ones you should be getting."

"What do you mean?"

"Look behind you," said Eleanor.

"Nyeh, what's up, doc?" Bugs asked, coming up onstage behind Ratigaurus.

The rat whipped around, looking horrified but recovering quickly. "Ah," said Ratigaurus. "If it isn't Bugs Bunny. What do you want? Heroes like you aren't wanted here."

"You'll change your mind when you hear my proposition: I would like to make a bet."

"Oh, a bet," said Ratigaurus. "This sounds interesting."

"How about we play various challenges throughout _this_ hotel? If I win then you give the Animation Resort back to Walker."

"If _I_ win this bet then you have to quit being a cartoon star and promise not to be in a cartoon ever again."

"Okay," said Bugs, ignoring the gasps of shock from all the heroes in the casino, and all the cheers from the villains. "Then it's a deal."

"Yes," said Ratigaurus. "Now here's the deal: tonight I'm gonna build a series of challenge games that you'll play tomorrow. They will all be different games. If you get past all the challenges, then Walker will have his hotel back. Now let's see . . ." Ratigaurus started counting the toons that were with Bugs. "There's seventeen toons with you and one real person. Now I just need one more real person on your side by tomorrow then you'll have a team."

"We'll have a full team by tomorrow."

"All right," said Ratigaurus as he puffed his cigar. "Meet me here tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp — and don't be late."

"Don't worry," said Bugs with a cocky grin. "I won't."

"Now how are we gonna find another player?"

"I don't know," said Daffy. "Everyone here's a villain."

"But we need a real person, not a toon." said Bugs. He didn't like Ratigaurus's rule, since it was clearly trying to disqualify them from playing, but he knew it was the only way to win the hotel back.

"Yeah," said Rio. "But who?"

"I think I know someone," said the Quik Bunny.

"You do?"

"Yes," said the Quik Bunny. "He's a good friend of mine and I bet that he'll help."

"I sure hope so," said Bugs.

"By the way, do you know where the nearest pay phone is?"

"There might be one in the lobby."

"Thanks," said the Quik Bunny, then ran off to find the phone.

At Ronald McDonald's house, Ronald was with his friends, Grimace and the Hamburglar watching _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_.

" _Willy Wonka_ is an awesome movie," Grimace said.

"And having McDonald's while watching it is great too," the Hamburglar added. They were watching the scene with the everlasting gobstoppers when there was a shrill sound from the kitchen. "The phone's ringing Ronald," he added. "You better go get it."

"I wonder who it is," Ronald asked, picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Ronald," said the caller. "It's the Nestle Quik Bunny."

"Oh hi Quik Bunny," said Ronald. "How's your chocolate milk?"

"Good," said the Quik Bunny, "but we need your help."

"You need help?" Ronald repeated, gesturing to his friends to stop the movie. "You called the right clown. What do you need?"

"I'm in Las Vegas right now."

"Oh, that sounds fun! Did you win anything?"

"No, I'm with Bugs Bunny. Ratigaurus has taken over the Animation Resort — you know, the hotel for toons."

"Oh yeah," said Ronald. "I've heard of that hotel. It's a shame that Ratigaurus took it."

"We're trying to get it back by making a bet with him. He wants one more person who isn't a toon to be in the challenge."

"Well," said Ronald, a little nervous about being part of the bet. "I'm kind of busy right now. I'm watching an awesome movie."

There was a moment of silence. "You're watching _Willy Wonka_ again, aren't you?"

"How did you know?!"

"You talk about it all the time," said the Quik Bunny, sounding annoyed. "I know you pretty well. Will you _please_ help us?"

"Well . . . " said Ronald. "Oooh, my favorite part is on!" He watched with amusement as Violet began turning blue and blowing up.

"Let me guess: you love the scene where that girl turns into a blueberry."

"No," said Ronald, annoyed that he was so predictable. When Quik just waited silently, he finally sighed and muttered, "Yes."

"We really need your help. How about when the movie is over you can head out to Vegas?"

"Got it," said Ronald, glad for a chance to finish the film. "Where do you want me to meet you?"

"At the Golden Rat at 9 a.m."

"Alright, Golden Rat at 9 a.m. See you then."

"See ya," said the Quik Bunny. Then Ronald hung up the phone.

The Quik Bunny returned to Bugs. "So, Quik," said Bugs. "Who's gonna be on our team?"

"Ronald McDonald," said the Quik Bunny.

"You got to be kidding me," Daffy cried, throwing his arms into the air. "You're sending a lame clown who eats fast food to help us in our bet? That's ridiculous!"

"Well he's the only other real person I know well."

"So is he coming?" asked Bugs.

"Yes," said the Quik Bunny, then added with an irritated sigh, "He's watching _Willy Wonka_ right now but he said he'll come after the movie."

"Whatever. At least we have one person on our side tomorrow. We just gotta hope we win that bet. We should get plenty of sleep tonight. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"This'll be great," said the Joker, as he and Ratigaurus set up the games. "With these traps and tricks we'll definitely win the bet."

"That's right," said Ratigaurus, lighting his cigar and taking a puff. "I'll make sure that that rabbit pays for humiliating me at my own club!"

"That's right! And I'll get my revenge on Batman too."

Ratigaurus blew his smoke into the air with a laugh. "This plan is foolproof. Let the games begin."

The next morning, Bugs Bunny and the Toon Squad were ready. "All right Ratigaurus," said Bugs, "we're here."

"Good," said Ratigaurus. "Wait a minute, where's your second real person? I said I wanted _two_ real people to be in this bet. I only see one."

"Well," said Bugs nervously, "Ronald should be here any moment now."

"He's not here _now_ ," said Ratigaurus. "If he doesn't get here in five minutes then your team will forfeit."

Luckily a car squealed to the curb before anyone could say anything, and Ronald leapt out of it. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in traffic."

"That's okay," said the Quik Bunny. "At least you made it. By the way, this is Bugs Bunny."

"Hi Bugs," said Ronald. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hey there," said Bugs. "What's up, doc?"

"Oh I love that line," said Ronald, jumping up and down like a little kid. "You're awesome!"

"All right," said Ratigaurus, annoyed by all the attention Bugs was getting. "Enough of this crap. Now time for the challenges. If you pass them all, you'll win the bet. But if you fail, you'll lose. Let the games begin!"

They all stepped through a small black door, where they were suddenly in a dark room. They heard Ratigaurus laugh as he said, "The first challenge is a game of laser tag. Only with _real_ lasers. Since most of you are toons you can survive this." He didn't say what would happen to the non-toons, making them all look at each other nervously. "Whoever defeats the other team wins. Go!"

The Toon Squad got into groups of three, so as to best surround the bad guys. Bugs was with Daffy and Rio, Mario was with Mint and Walker, Tommy was with Chuckie and Sailor Moon, Batman was with Shaggy and Scooby, the Chipettes were together, and the Quik Bunny was with Fred and Ronald. "This isn't so bad," Bugs said, looking around as they walked through the arena. "I wonder who our opponents are?"

"Yeah," said Rio. "We haven't seen anyone yet."

"Maybe they gave up," Daffy suggested hopefully.

"I doubt it," Bugs replied, shaking his head. "We just need to find them."

"We meet again, earth rabbit," a familiar voice said. " _This_ time you'll pay for beating me in that shooting game." It was Marvin the Martian. "Now we're using real lasers instead of video game ones."

"The three of us can take you on."

"You think so?" said Marvin. "Look who I have with me."

Another voice rang out from behind them: "Say your prayers, wabbit . . . It's wabbit season at last! _Huhuhuhuh_!" It was Elmer Fudd. He laughed again as he leveled his laser at them.

"There you are, you carrot-eating varmint!" This time the voice came from the left, and Yosemite Sam stepped into view, waving his guns in the air.

"Oh no," said Rio. "We're surrounded!"

"Alright, rabbit," said Marvin. "It's payback time."

Batman, Shaggy, and Scooby were alone in another part of the arena. "We haven't seen anything yet," said Shaggy. "Are you sure this is a challenge? It seems awfully quiet. Maybe there's no one here."

"Don't let your guard down yet," said Batman. "There might be enemies here."

"I say we go back," said Scooby.

"Scooby," said Batman, "we gotta stick together. If we want our hotel back, we need to be brave."

"Well, well, Batsy, we meet again." They whirled around to see three shadowy figures come towards them

Batman recognized the voice. "Joker! So you're our opponent."

"That's right," said Joker. "And we're gonna have lots of fun. Guess who I have with me?"

The other two stepped into view. "Hello, Batman," said Penguin.

"Well Batman," Mr. Freeze added, "time to freeze you."

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed. "It's Batman's enemies!"

"Oh no," Scooby groaned, burying his nose in his paws.

Mint, Walker, and Mario were in a dark, wooded area. "How'd they get trees inside the casino?" Mint asked.

Mario reached out and touched the leaves. "Fake," he said. "Ratigaurus must have bought them somewhere."

" _Bwa ha ha!_ "

"Who's there?" Mint demanded, whirling around. "Show yourselves!"

"Wait," said Mario. "I think I recognize that voice."

Bowser leapt down from the tree they'd been looking at, shaking the ground as he landed. "There you are, Mario," said Bowser. "You thought you could get rid of me easily? Well you were wrong. And this time I have backup!" There was another burst of evil laughter, and Dr. Robotnik and Ganon appeared out of the trees.

"So you've got other video game villains on your side," said Mario, trying to pretend that didn't worry him.

"That's right," said Bowser. "This time, you're dead."

"Wow," said Tommy, "I didn't know Slots Vegas would be this fun."

"Tommy," said Chuckie. "I'm scared. What if the Joker Clown gets us?"

"Don't worry, I'll be by your side. By the way, Sailor Moon are you really a sailor? You don't look like one."

"Well, sort of," said Sailor Moon, not sure how to explain it to little kids.

"I bet you sail on a ship on the moon!"

"No, not really. I only fight crime. I don't really sail on the moon."

"So you're a crime-fighting moon sailor," said Tommy.

Sailor Moon realized she wasn't going to be able to make them understand. "Oh okay," she said with a shrug. "Close enough."

A young blonde-haired girl jumped in front of them, waving her laser. "Well, well, well! You dumb babies don't learn anything, do you?"

"It's Angelica!" Chuckie shouted.

"What do you want Angelica?" Tommy demanded.

"I only want to play tag," said Angelica. "Laser Tag."

"What's that?" asked Tommy.

"Laser Tag is a game where you shoot with lasers. And I'm gonna win."

"Not if we save anything to say about it," said Tommy.

"Oh really?" said Angelica. "You should know that I'm not alone. I have some friends."

"What kind of friends?" asked Sailor Moon.

"You'll see, blondie. You might recognize them."

"Oh no," Sailor Moon moaned as the others came forward. "It's Queen Beryl."

"That's right," the evil queen replied. "Ratigaurus hired me and now I can get my revenge, Sailor Moon."

"Not if we have anything to say about it!"

"Watch yourselves," the other one snapped, and they recognized Freiza. "You're in for one heck of a ride. Ha, ha, ha!"

The Quik Bunny paused, sticking his nose in the air and sniffing. "It seems like there's no one around," he said, his ears drooping a little. "I'm worried. And I hope the others are okay."

"Well," said Ronald, "I bet the bad guys are just chicken."

"Alright Ronald," said Fred, rolling his eyes. "Enough with the fast food jokes."

"Oh, sorry."

"So Fred," said the Quik Bunny, "Who do you think we'll bump into?"

He shrugged. "That I don't know. But I think they may come any minute now."

" _You're_ our opponents?" They turned and saw Gaston. He was flanked by Cat R. Waul and Carface, but looked as surprised as the heroes at who they were going to fight. "You guys don't look so tough."

The bad guys all laughed as they surrounded them.

"So do you think there's anyone here?" said Brittany.

"I don't know," said Jeanette. "There must be opponents somewhere."

"Yeah," said Eleanor.

"And here we are." The voice was huge — almost as loud as his footsteps, which boomed as Megatron entered the area. Shredder and Skeletor were behind him, looking very small . . . but they were all way bigger than the Chippettes.

"Oh boy," said Brittany. " _Now_ what do we do?"

"Oh no," said the Quik Bunny. "How do we stop them?"

"I don't know," said Fred. "We gotta defeat them somehow."

"Any ideas Ronald?" asked the Quik Bunny.

"Let's squirt ketchup and mustard at them!"

"Is that really your plan?" asked Fred. "That's awful!"

Ronald shrugged sadly. "But that's all I know."

"Alright there," said Gaston. "You may think you can run away, but I'm good at hunting so I'll find you wherever you go."

"Hey wait a minute," the Quik Bunny whispered. "I have an idea. Hey Gaston," he added in a louder voice.

"Yes?"

"I think I see Belle."

"Belle, where?" Gaston suddenly forgot about the battle and began looking around for the princess. While he was distracted, the Quik Bunny shot him, hitting the target on his chest, which gave him an electric shock. With a yelp of pain, the villain fell to the floor and passed out.


	4. Wanna Bet Chapter 4

"Well that takes care of one of them," said the Quik Bunny. "Hope they're all that easy."

"So much for being a tough guy," Fred scoffed.

"He might not be too tough, but _we_ are," Carface growled, and they both stepped forward.

"Fred," the Quik Bunny asked nervously, "I'm out of ideas. Any plans?"

"Yes," said Fred. "You guys distract them."

Ronald and Quik looked at each other, confused, but leapt into action immediately. "Hey bozos! Try and shoot us." When the bad guys turned their attention to the other two, they completely forgot about Fred, allowing him to shoot them unconscious as well.

"Whew, that was close," said the Quik Bunny. "Thank you, Fred."

"No problem," said Fred. "What are friends for?"

Mint, Mario, and Walker were running as fast as they could, dodging the lasers being shot at their retreating back. "Mario," Mint panted, ducking under a blast. "Any ideas?"

"I don't know," said Mario.

" _What_?" she demanded. "You don't have _anything_? How often have you beaten this loser?"

"I only know how to play level games," he explained. "I'm not good at shooting games."

Walker jumped in, saying, "Well, we've got to think of something, fast."

"Hey, I know!" said Mario. "Stop running! I have a great idea."

As one, they all stopped in their tracks and whirled around, surprising their pursuers. "Mario," said Bowser. "Given up yet?"

"I'll never give up," he replied, then began running in circles around Bowser like he'd done in other games. While Robotnik and Ganon were trying to follow Mario's movements so they could shoot him, Walker and Mint got them first, knocking them out with the electric shock. Once the others were taken care of, Mario jumped over Bowser and shot him from behind.

"Wow," said Mint. "That was awesome."

"They should make shooting games like _that,_ " Mario agreed. "I'd be good at those."

"Zoinks," said Shaggy, "I don't have any bright ideas." They'd been shooting at each other for a while now, and all it had gotten them was out of breath. "They can dodge better than we can shoot."

"I say we run," said Scooby.

"Running won't solve anything," Batman replied. "We've got to think of something."

"So, Batsy," said the Joker. "Have you given up yet? I think I should put a smile on that face of yours. And maybe some laughing gas. _That_ would be funny."

"Only to a maniac like you, Joker," he retorted. To Scooby and Shaggy he muttered, "Follow me to that dead end."

"I knew we should run!" Scooby cried, and they all sprinted in that direction. Once they'd gotten there, Batman leapt up onto the wall and out of sight, letting the enemies corner his friends before jumping behind them and blocking them in.

"Will this make you smile?" Batman asked, throwing his gun like a boomerang. It knocked the guns out of each of the villain's hands before returning to his, then he shot them. "You guys okay?" he asked once they were defeated and passed out.

"Yeah we're alright," said Shaggy, looking down at the bad guys. "You deserve a Scooby Snack for that."

Batman smiled, gesturing for them to follow him as they continued looking for people to fight. "No thanks, Shaggy."

The Chipettes knew immediately that they couldn't outfight those giant baddies, so they ran, using their small size to slip into corners and places they couldn't follow. But they couldn't keep running forever; already they were getting pretty tired. "Any thoughts?" Brittany asked. "What about you, Ellie?"

"How about we hide and when they come, we make the attack?"

"That's a great idea," said Brittany. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"There!" Jeannette cried, pointing. "In that bush!"

They managed to completely disappear just as the others caught up. "All right, you pesky chipmunks," said Megatron. "You can't hide forever."

"But where are they?" Skeletor asked, looking around.

"Do we even know that they're here?" the Shredder added. "Maybe they went this way."

"No, that way," Skeletor replied, pointing in the opposite direction.

"This way!"

"That way!"

" _This_ way!"

" _That_ way!"

"Now!" Eleanor shouted. The three of them jumped out of the bush and shot the two while they were fighting, then Megatron.

"Now _that's_ what we call teamwork," said Brittany.

"Ha, ha, ha!" said Angelica. "You dumb babies don't know a thing about laser tag. Why don't you just give up?"

"Tommy," said Chuckie. "I don't like Slots Vegas anymore. Why don't we just give up and take a nap?"

"We can't, Chuckie," said Tommy. "The Amimation Hotel is counting on us. We got to win. What would Reptar do in this situation?" Then he had an idea, and after whispering something to Chuckie turned to his cousin. "Hey Angelika," said Tommy. "You think you can defeat us?"

"Yes I can," said Angelika. "I'm older and more mature than you dumb babies. I can beat you at anything!"

"Oh yeah?" said Tommy. "You may be bigger than us but we can try. Now, Chuckie!" Then Chuckie, who'd been creeping up behind Angelica while Tommy had distracted her, shot her in the back, causing her to fall.

"Tommy, are you okay?"

"I am now," said Tommy. "That was a really good shot. But what about the Moon Sailor?"

"Oh yeah," said Chuckie, feeling braver now that he'd faced his fears. "We've got to help her!"

"Give up, Sailor Moon," said Queen Beryl. "You'll never win."

"We've got you cornered," Freiza agreed.

"I'll never give up! In the name of the moon, I'll bring justice."

Queen Beryl rolled her eyes. "If you insist. Freiza, let's shoot her."

"Not so fast," said Tommy, running up to stand by Sailor Moon with Chuckie at his heels.

"What?" said Freiza. "This has to be a joke."

"You think you babies can stop us?" Queen Beryl demanded, laughing.

"Leave the Moon Sailor alone," said Tommy.

Freiza turned his attention to the kids. "Because of toddlers like you? I don't think so."

"We have guns," said Chuckie.

"You brats probably don't know how to use a gun." said Freiza.

"Let's shoot them," said Queen Beryl. But before they could, Sailor Moon got them both.

"Wow," said Tommy. "You're not just a moon sailor. You're also a superhero!"

"Yeah," said Sailor Moon. "Something like that. Thanks for the distraction — looks like you can be useful after all."

"Well," said Tommy shyly, "We can help when we can."

"By the way," asked Sailor Moon. "Where's that little girl you were with?"

"We shot her to sleep."

"Oh," said Saillor Moon, thinking that Angelica was lucky she was a toon or she'd be dead. "Good job, kids."

Bugs, Daffy, and Rio were running through the trees as fast as they could, hoping to find a place to hide long enough to come up with a plan. Suddenly Bugs saw a cave. "In here!" he said, grabbing his friends' arms and hauling them into the hiding place.

"All right Bugs," said Daffy. "You're our fearless leader here. What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know," said Bugs. "They're much stronger than I thought they'd be."

"That's all you've got?" Daffy demanded, flinging his wings into the air. "Some leader you turned out to be. Guess we'll just have to rely on me. Now, let's see, we could use Bugs as bait . . . maybe we could dress him up as a woman. Or a horse . . ."

"We've got to think of something," said Rio, both of them ignoring Daffy as he muttered stupid plans to himself.

"But does Bugs have any lipstick?" Daffy wondered aloud. "And would it be a good color for my complexion?"

"Daffy, you had a great idea," Bugs said, suddenly having an idea.

The duck paused, turning to his friend. "I did? Really?"

"Yeah. We'll be bait. Come on."

"I guess that _was_ a brilliant idea. Glad someone's finally appreciating me . . . wait, did you say _we_? But I —" Before he could say anything else, Bugs grabbed him and dragged him out of the cave just as Elmer was running by.

"Say your prayers, wabbit," said Elmer, alone because the villains had decided to split up to hunt them. "It's wabbit season."

"No, it's duck season actually," said Bugs, pointing to Daffy.

"What? It's not duck season! It's definitely rabbit season!" Daffy replied angrily, pushing Bugs toward Fudd.

"Duck Season," said Bugs, grabbing Elmer's rifle and pointing it at the duck.

"Rabbit season," said Daffy, taking the gun too and shoving it toward Bugs.

"Rabbit season," Bugs replied, pulling the gun toward him.

"Duck season." And Daffy pulling the gun so it pointed at him.

"Rabbit season."

"I say it's duck season," Daffy said, wrenching the gun away from Bugs and pointing it at his chest again. "And I say fire!"

Rio appeared behind Elmer Fudd and shot him.

"Good job, Rio," said Bugs.

"Thank you. Now there's two more to go."

"Shh," said Bugs. "Here comes Sam. Wait here — I'll bring him to you." He hurried away from them and jumped into Sam's path.

"Alright you varmint," said Sam, pointing his laser at Bugs. "I've got you now."

"Oh really?" Bugs asked, drawing a line in the dirt with his toe. "If you think you're so tough, then I dare you to pass this line."

"I'm stepping over it." said Sam cockily.

"And this one," said Bugs, drawing another. When Sam stepped over it he continued drawing lines, stepping backward as he did so. "And this one. And this one. And this one."

"I'm stepping," said Sam, coming into the clearing where Daffy and Rio were waiting.

"Now!" Bugs exclaimed, and they shot him. "Good teamwork guys," said Bugs.

"That's right," said Rio. "Now that Martian is next."

As soon as they'd spoken, Marvin stumbled upon them. "There you are, Earth creatures. I've got you now."

"Oh no," said Bugs, pretending to be scared. "You've got me. This is the end. The end for me. I'll drop my gun. It looks like goodbye."

"Any last words before I shoot you?"

"Oh yes," said Bugs, putting one hand to his forehead as though he was about to faint. "Here. Here's my gun. Take it. It's my most prized possession. You deserve it for defeating me!" Marvin reached out his hand for it, but as he relaxed his guard Bugs shot him. "I knew I could outsmart them," he said proudly.

Suddenly there was a crackling sound as Rattigaurus spoke to them all through an intercom. "Well, well, well. It looks like you all passed challenge 1. Now enter the door and get ready for the second." A bunch of glow-in-the-dark arrows lit up on the floor, directing everyone toward a large door at the opposite end of the room from where they'd entered. As the heroes ran into each other, they laughed and hugged, sharing stories about their part in the competition.

"We're gonna be great at the next challenge!" Daffy proclaimed. "We kicked butt on that first one."

"I don't think the next one will be quite so easy," Mint said nervously, hooking her arm around Rio's waist for security.

Bugs shrugged, looking at the door, which hadn't opened for them yet. "I guess we'll just have to wait and find out."

With a loud creak, the door opened, and everyone crowded inside to see what Rattigaurus had in store for them next.

The first thing they saw when they entered was the Joker. "Hello everyone," he said cheerfully. "Welcome to Toon Jeopardy. In this game you'll have to play a trivia game where all the questions are cartoon-themed. So everybody sit down."

"Okay," said Bugs to the others. "So this is the next challenge. It doesn't seem so bad."

"I said SIT DOWN!" The Joker shouted, and the look on his face was so scary that everyone sat in the hard plastic chairs laid out for them. Once they'd obeyed, his creepy happy smile returned and he continued talking like nothing had happened. "Now the rules of this challenge," he said, "are as follows: you pick a category and you'll be asked a question. If you answer it right, you score points. But if you answer it wrong then you get a surprise. You'll be competing against the villains you defeated in the first challenge. I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know that they've all recovered." He paused for a moment, watching the stony faces of the heroes. "No? Oh, well. Not very friendly, are you guys? Maybe I shouldn't even tell you the categories . . . oh, who am I kidding? I'm too excited to keep them from you! Here they are: Warner Bros. Cartoons, Disney, Video Games, 80s Cartoons, Cartoon Mascots, Hanna Barbera Cartoons, Nicktoons, and Anime. Now . . . let the game begin! Who will go first?"

"I will," said Mario. "Video Games for 200."

"All right," said the Joker. "Here's the answer: the name of the sixth zone in _Sonic the Hedgehog 2_ for the Genesis."

"Um . . ." Mario turned to his friends desperately. "I . . ."

"YOUR TEAM CAN'T HELP YOU!" The Joker yelled, looking scary again.

Too freaked out by the Joker's anger to argue, Mario simply said, "What is the Marble Garden Zone?"

Once again the villain calmed down, giving Mario a pretend-sad look. "I'm _so_ sorry," he said, shaking his head. "The correct answer is: What is the Mystic Cave Zone?"

Mario's chair suddenly glowed blue-white, and a crackling sound filled the room. " _Whoooooooooahh_!" he screamed as he was electrocuted.

"Hey wait a minute," Bugs demanded, rising to his feet. "What just happened?!"

"Oh," said the Joker. "That's one of the surprises we have for when you answer a question wrong. Don't worry, it's not the only one, so just _sit down_ and we'll keep having fun . . ." The way he said "sit down" through his teeth made Bugs nervous, so he sat down immediately. "Now the villains' team, it's your turn."

Marvin pointed at the board. "Warner Bros. Cartoons for 200."

"Here's your answer: Marvin the Martian's famous catchphrase."

"What is 'you make me very angry'?" said Marvin.

"Correct!" the Joker exclaimed, clapping his hands. "200 points for the villains. Heroes' team, you're next."

"I-I'll go," said the Quik Bunny. "Cartoon Mascots for 400."

"These are all the shapes of the marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal."

"Hmmm," said the Quik Bunny, tapping his chin. "Let me see: there's hearts, stars, horseshoes, clovers and blue moons, pots of gold, rainbows, and the red balloons."

"I'm sorry," said the Joker. "That was correct but you didn't answer it in the form of a question. Such a shame." Then a hammer came down from the ceiling, smacking the Quik Bunny in the head and making him see stars. "Villains?

"Yes," said Megatron. "80s Cartoons for 500."

"The planet the Autobots are from."

"What is Cybertron?"

"Correct!" said the Joker. "All right heroes, your turn."

"Oh yes!" said Mickey Mouse, grinning at his friends eagerly. "I'll get this one all right! Disney for 300."

"Here's your answer: In the 1967 Disney movie _The Jungle Book,_ King Louie wanted Mowgli to do this."

"What is make fire?"

"Correct," said the Joker.


	5. Chapter 5

Angelica stood up. "Nicktoons for 600."

"In the show _Ahh! Real Monsters_ , the monsters eat a lot of these — and it doesn't taste very good."

"Oh," said Angelica. "I don't know . . . What is little kids?"

"Incorrect," said the Joker. "We were looking for 'What is garbage?'" Then Angelica got hit with a hammer. "Heroes, your turn."

Sailor Moon leaned forward, pointing at the board. "Anime for 500."

"In _Dragonball Z,_ Goku attacks with this signature move that involves shooting a beam out of his hands."

"Oh," said Sailor Moon. "What is the _Kamehameha_?"

"Correct," said the Joker, starting to look irritated. "Villains?"

"Hanna Barbera for 300," said Gaston.

"In the 1960s, the Flintstones were in commercials for this type of cigarettes."

"What is Camel?" asked Gaston.

"Incorrect," said Joker, glaring at Gaston. "The correct answer is 'what is Winston?' Heroes . . ."

"All right," said Bugs. "Warner Bros. for 500."

"In the show _Tiny Toon Adventures_ , episode 'Gangbusters,' Buster Bunny was framed for this crime."

"What is stealing a slushy machine?" said Bugs.

"Correct," said the Joker through clenched teeth. "Good job. Villains, you need to catch up." There was something threatening in his voice now that made everyone nervous.

"Disney for 400," Gaston said.

"In the 1992 movie _Aladdin_ , the lamp was found in this cave."

"What is the Treacherous cave?" asked Gaston.

"Incorrect," said the Joker. "The correct answer is the Cave of Wonders. Heroes, you know what to do."

"I'll go!" Brittany called. "80s Cartoons for 400."

"In the cartoon _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,_ their archenemy. He's quite _grating_."

"What is the . . . uh, grater?" asked Brittany.

The Joker suddenly smiled. "Incorrect," he said, delighted that he'd fooled her. The hammer fell from the ceiling and smacked Brittany. "The Correct answer is, 'what is the Shredder?'"

The Toon Squad continued to do well, the Joker getting more and more annoyed the more points they got. However, the villains began to improve after their shaky start, and soon the scores were tied.

"Okay everyone," said the Joker, clapping his hands with excitement. "Now for the fun part: final Jeopardy! Here it is. Right down your wager and hold it up when you're ready."

"Everyone," said Bugs, leaning in to whisper to them. "Let's give up all our points."

"What?!" everyone replied. "Are you crazy?"

"Trust me," he said.

When the Joker turned to them, they told him that they were betting 2,000 points: everything they had. The villains bet 1,500.

"If we get the question wrong, they get all our points!" Jeannette said.

"But we're all working together as a team. We'll get the answer," Bugs replied confidently.

The Joker grinned at them and read the question: "This 'Bugs Bunny' cartoon is the only one to have won an Academy Award."

Bugs grinned at them. "See? Told you we'd be fine." He took the pen and wrote down the answer.

"Well?" said the Joker in a few minutes. "What are your answers?" The villlains showed "Ali Baba Bunny." "No! You stupid — I mean, I'm sorry," he said, composing himself and hiding his frustration. "That is incorrect. Heroes?" They showed "Knighty Knight Bugs." The Joker groaned. "That answer is correct. The Toon Squad" — he glared at them as he spoke — "wins this challenge."

The heroes erupted into cheering. "We did it!" Mint cried.

"Well, bravo contestants," said Rattigaurus, coming out from behind the Jeopardy board. "Another victory. But there's still one more challenge left. So come through this door and see — but I only want _one_ person to compete in this final challenge. None of this teamwork nonsense."

The heroes all turned to each other. "Who will it be?" Bugs asked.

"How about me?" Daffy asked. "I'll compete!"

Bugs looked at the others uncomfortably. "I don't think that'd be a good idea . . ."

"Come on!" Daffy whined. "I'll be good at this challenge."

"Well, actually," said Bugs, "I was thinking that I should go. Since I made the bet, it's my responsibility to win it for us."

"But what if something bad happens to you?" said Mint.

"Don't worry," he told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I've gone through worse things than this." After a moment of thinking, she nodded he looked to everyone else. "Well?"

"All right," said Rio. "We'll be cheering you on."

"That's right!" said Mario. "We'll cheer you all the way."

"Thanks, guys," said Bugs. "Then I'm off."

"Good luck Bugs," said the Quik Bunny.

"We hope you win," said Sailor Moon. "The Animation Resort is counting on you."

Bugs waved, then went through the door to the final challenge.

On the other side of the door was a boxing ring. There were also a lot of toons getting ready to watch the final challenge — including his friends, who were being ushered in by the villains. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," said the announcer. "I'm Johnny Gomez."

"And I'm Nick Diamond," said the other announcer. "Usually we're seen on _Celebrity Deathmatch_ but this time we're here for a much healthier sport. This is Toon Boxing. There will be three two-minute rounds for each game."

"Aaaaand here are our contestants!" said Johnny. "In the red corner we've got Warner Bros. most famous cartoon star, Bugs Bunny."

"And in the blue corner," said Nick Diamond, "we've got the owner of the Golden Rat Resort, Severus T. Rattigaurus."

"Yes that's right," said Johnny. "If Bugs Bunny wins then Rattigaurus will have to give the Animation Resort back to Walker."

"But if Rattigaurus wins," said Nick, "then Bugs will have to quit acting and promise never to be in a cartoon ever again. This will be interesting to see since the stakes are so high! Round one . . . begin!"

So Bugs and Rattigaurus started fighting. Bugs did the best he could, but Rattigaurus was too much for him. He kept hitting Bugs before he could even recover from the last punch. "So Bugs," said Rattigaurus between hits. "You think you can beat me? Clearly you're not. You should know that I'm the winner around here. I'll make sure that I get to keep the Animation Resort and that you retire."

"I'll never let that happen," said Bugs, bursting forward and shoving his shoulder into Rattigaurus's ribs. The rat fell back, giving Bugs some room to breathe. "The Animation Resort belongs to Walker, and I'll make sure that I win this fight and bring the hotel back to its rightful owner."

"I doubt _that_ will happen," said Rattigaurus, before leaping forward and showering him with a volley of blows that dropped Bugs to the floor.

"Wow," said Johnny. "That was rough! It looks like Bugs isn't doing so good. Rattigaurus definitely has the upper hand in this one."

"Bugs Bunny is on the ground!" Nick cried. "If he doesn't get up by the time we count to ten, he's lost! One, two, three, four, five, six — oh wait a minute, he's getting up." Then the bell rang.

"Well, that's it for round one," said Johnny. "Round two will start after this commercial break."

Meanwhile, some members of the Toon Squad were helping Bugs over to a chair. "C'mon," said Daffy. "You've got to win this game!"

"I'm trying," said Bugs. "But Rattigaurus is just too strong."

"Yeah I know that," said Daffy. "But you're stronger. You just gotta show him who's boss. I know Rattigaurus is tough but I know you, and you're much better than he is. Come on, do this so we can star in tons more cartoons together."

"Okay, Daffy," said Bugs, smiling up at his oldest friend. "I can defeat Rattigaurus. I just got to think." Then the commercial break ended. "Well, Daffy," said Bugs. "It looks like I need to head back to the ring. Thanks a lot."

"No problem, Bugs," said Daffy. "I've already started writing a short for us."

Bugs laughed, patting Daffy on the back. "Can't wait to read it, Daff."

"Now we're back," said Nick. "Bugs wasn't doing so well in the first round. Let's see if he could make it past this one. Round 2!"

The fight at first seemed much the same as Round 1. "Wow," said Nick. "Rattigaurus is still beating on Bugs. Wait . . . what is Bugs doing? It looks like he ripped something. Rattigaurus doesn't look too happy."

"Hey wait a minute," said Rattigaurus. "Did my pants rip? This is bad." Bugs Bunny winked at the audience, then spun around and disguised himself as a pants repair man. "Oh thank goodness you're here," said Rattigaurus. "My pants ripped."

"Don't worry," said Bugs. "I can sew your pants back together." Then he started singing to himself, "Stitching time won't save nine. Especially make the needle fine. La da dee, da dee, dum dum la dee dee da dum." Then Bugs poked Ratigaurus's's butt with the needle.

" _Ahhhhhh_!" said Rattigaurus, and he went flying away from the needle.

"Wow!" said Nick. "That was a big poke by Bugs Bunny."

"Yeah," said Johnny. "He got Rattigaurus flying across the ring."

"Now look, Johnny!" said Nick. "Rattigaurus is chasing Bugs Bunny. Now Bugs has got Rattigaurus into an open safe. Now he's closing the safe. Wow, Johnny, that was big comeback by Bugs Bunny! Let's see what he's gonna do next." Bugs then opened the safe, leaning in to see the angry rat.

"Hello there, Rattigaurus," said Bugs. "Are you having fun?"

"You little — I mean yes," said Rattigaurus as he was knocked in the head. Dreamily he smiled up at the rabbit, swaying. "I'm just passing by."

"Oh, dearie," said Bugs, faking concern. "Why don't you go lay down?"

"Yeah," said Rattigaurus, still dazed. "That's a good idea."

"Now you just lay here for a while," said Bugs, setting him down onto the floor. "There you go."

"Wow!" said Nick. "That was something. Bugs Bunny tricked Rattigaurus into laying down. He might just have won this! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 . . . 7, 8 . . . 9 . . . 10! It looks like we got a winner! Bugs Bunny wins the game!"

"Rattigaurus was just too much for him," Johnny agreed. "Wow that was a great victory for Bugs."

The Toon Squad was jumping up and down and screaming. "Yes!" said Mint. "Bugs won the game! Woo!"

"Well," said Bugs with a weary grin. "It looks like I won. Now the Animation Resort goes back to Walker."

Rattigaurus got up with the help of the villains. "Oh man," he groaned. "What happened?"

"Yay!" said Mint. "Bugs won!"

"I knew you could do it!" said Daffy, flinging one arm around Bugs' shoulder and giving him a noogie.

"What?" Rattigaurus demanded, shaking off his headache and confusion. " _Noooooo!_ No, you can't do this to me!"

"Well Rattigaurus," Bugs said, shrugging. "I won the bet fair and square, so that means Howard gets the Animation Resort back."

"No!" said Rattigaurus. "I won't let you! I have the deed, so you can't do anything about it!"

"I can't do anything? How about this?" Then Bugs knocked Rattigaurus out of the ring.

" _Ahhhhhhhhhhh!_ " shouted Rattigaurus, as he flew out of Las Vegas and into the desert, landing on a cactus. "Oww!" Rattigaurus shouted, leaping into the air and falling to the ground. "Oww, oww, oww."

"Well," said Walker, looking up at the hole Rattigaurus had left in the ceiling. "It looks like I got my Hotel back. Thank you, Bugs."

"Nah," said Bugs. "It was nothing. That Rattigaurus didn't stand a chance against us."

"Good job, Bugs," said Daffy. "You did great. I'm proud to call you my sidekick."

Quik rolled his eyes at Daffy, then said, "I think we should have some Nestle Quik to celebrate. We've earned it."

"Sure thing," said Bugs. "But first, we go back to the Animation Resort."

"Yeah!" cheered everyone.

"Well," said Johnny as the toons began filing out of the casino. "It looks like the game's over. This is Johnny Gomez saying good fight, good night."

"Well everything's back to normal," Bugs said, looking around the lounge where he was hanging out with Daffy and Fred. "We got our hotel back. Rattigaurus is defeated. Nothing gets better than this."

Upstairs, Mint had finally opened her prize and was enjoying it. "All right!" she exclaimed. "This new N64 is fun."

"So Mint," said Bugs, once she had let him into her hotel room. "How do you like your N64?"

"It's so much fun," she said eagerly. "I absolutely love it!"

"Mind if I have a try?" he asked.

"No, not at all," said Mint. They played together.

"Oooh," said Daffy, bursting into the room. "You're playing video games! Could I play? Pretty please?"

"No," said Mint sternly.

"Oh come on!" Daffy whined. "I really wanna play it. You're letting Bugs play!"

"That's because I trust him," said Mint. "I don't trust you. You said you broke yours."

"Well, a duck can make one mistake, can't he?" said Daffy.

"I still don't trust you," said Mint.

"Please," said Daffy. "I helped save the hotel, after all!"

"No," said Mint. "Remember, you bought yourself a Gameboy as a reward for defeating Rattigaurus and you broke it that very day!"

There was another knock on the door. "Hey Mint," said the Quik Bunny, poking his head in. "Are you playing your new N64?"

"Yes," said Mint. "Want to join us? This system can go up to four players."

"Wow," said the Quik Bunny. "That's sweet! I'd love to play."

Mario came in shortly after. "Oooh," said Mario. "That'sa good system. Could I play?"

"Sure," said Mint. "Now we have four players."

"Oh come on," Daffy complained, bouncing around behind them. "I want to play too!"

"I said no," said Mint.

"Oh darn it." said Daffy. "Fine! Be that way. I'll just go see if I can play on Fred's Playstation then." Leaving them, Daffy went into Fred's room. "Hey Fred. Could I play your Playstation?"

"No, absolutely not," said Fred. "I saw what happened to your Gameboy."

"Oh come on," said Daffy. "Why won't anyone let me play any of their cool games?"

The End


End file.
